Something Sweet
by Miyuusen
Summary: It's hard to tell which one was sweeter: Hinata, the girl who loved them, or Sasuke, the boy who loathed them even as he made them for her. Modern AU, SasuHina. Slight ItaHina. ItaSaku.
1. Chapter 1

Something Sweet

By Miyuusen

1

誰しもが持つその歌声を

今ここに響かせて

うたうことで少しだけ強くなれる聴かせておくれ

君だけのうたを

Everyone has a singing voice

Here and now, let it resound

With singing, you'll be able to become just a little bit stronger. Let me hear it,

your unique song.

- Yasashii Uta by MUCCムック

* * *

Huffing out an impatient sigh, Sasuke Uchiha found himself rolling out the dough that, after he was done with it, would be a beautifully crafted vol-au-vent* with a lemon balm filling. It was an odd thing to make a filling out of, considering lemon balm was usually used in flavoring ice cream or even making tea out of. But then his mother had this grand idea when they had been going over, and deciding on, this weeks menu. She had pondered over it, and like the awful hag she was, she set Sasuke to work on finding out a way to incorporate the calming ingredient into the filling. How had he managed to do this? By carefully grinding the dried leaves, adding a small amount of melted sugar, and mixing it into the whipped cream he had just made a batch of. Not very difficult, but his mother had professed him a genius and made him in charge of crafting all 100 of the needed vol-au-vent's. His hands, already aching after the full hour they had been active, moved quickly. Lethargic actions were dangerous for the pastry shop. If he decided to slow down, they would surely not have enough time for the opening of the shop at 8.

He liked the work though, no matter how much he despised the eating of sweet things. It kept his mind distracted, always in the fog of doing his laborious tasks. His mother liked him like this: him uncomplaining as he dutifully took care of the tiniest thing on each dessert. But there was a bad thing to this little deal she had made with her son, at least for Sasuke, as the work never seemed to cease. Sasuke was kind of glad his mother was away on a business trip with his dad.

Sighing, as he prepared the dough to be cut, he wiped his the back of his hand across his forehead, wiping the stray hairs away, as they had fallen out of the clip that kept his bangs back. That millisecond break was all he got, as he soon found himself back in business as he got started on carefully cutting six holes from the spread out piece of dough.

He was so deep into his labor, that he almost didn't hear it; the chime of a bell that signaled his cousin, Shisui, had just arrived from the back. And of course, with his cousin being that of a mischievous nature, he crept slowly toward the already stiffening Uchiha, preparing to leap out and startle him in his effort. Before he even got the chance too, Sasuke quickly swiveled around, knife in hand as he pointed it to Shisui's chest. He prepared to thrust forward with it, as he had always been tempted to do when his cousin was involved.

"Woah, little 'Tachi-kun, no need to be so murderous," Shisui laughed out, scratching at his curly head of hair while holding the other hand out in a gesture of peace.

"Don't call me that," Sasuke grounded out, his eyes narrowing at his cousin with an emotion relative to hate. He didn't really like being compared to his largely successful brother, when now-a-days, he was the disappointment to his family. Ugh.

"Fine, how 'bout Ugly-Ducky-Wucky-Chan? Ya know, because of your hair?" he suggested and Sasuke resisted the urge to self-consciously touch his mane, which at the moment was tied back with a black hairband. It was the deal he made with his mother: If he didn't wear the disgusting hairnet like the rest of her employees, then he'd get to keep his hair tied back.

"Then should I call you Poodle-chan? Ya know," Sasuke said, copying the tone of voice Shisui had used, "because of your hair."

With that, Shisui clutched his heart, his face scrunching up as if in immense pain, "Oh, how you wound me, Sasu-chan."

Sasuke snorted and turned back to cutting the dough while he listed off orders for Shisui to follow. Things like, "ground the mint leaves, make the garnishes for the blueberry cheesecake, ice the éclairs*, take out the pecan pie, etc". It was the least that lazy cousin of his could do. With whining here and there, the two Uchiha's finished with 15 minutes to spare, admiring their work as they finished off with putting out the trays.

"So," Shisui asked, after they sat down in the back to enjoy a cold cup of iced lemon balm tea while they waited for 8 o'clock to roll around, "Did you get the stuff for the leaving customer's ready?" Even with the oddly phrased question, Sasuke knew what he was implying. When a customer left, they usually had a tray, or bowl filled with tiny, on-the-go treats. They were free, and usually bite sized. For as long as he could remember, he had always been the one in charge of those things, even when he was a child. Wait, especially as a child. Mikoto used to put him at the cash register, just to hand out the treats. She professed that it was good for the shop, having a cute young boy there. She _used_ him.

"Caramelized popcorn for the morning goers, and brownie poppers for the afternoon. I got done with those before I started on anything else. Like always, you dunce," Sasuke told him, annoyed that he even had to ask.

"Well, I was just had to be sure, ya know, with you losing your grasp on sanity and all."

Sasuke let out a groan as he slid a spiteful glare at his cousin, "Not you too!"

"What?" Shisui gave him an innocent blink of his eyes, "Did I say something out-of-line? I've been working on it, Sasu-chan. Honestly. It helps that I go to _college_, like a lot of other mature adults."

"Oh my god, stop." He really didn't want to talk about his issue with his college education, least of all with Shisui. He already got enough of this at home.

"And you know what? I'm getting pretty good at it, I can now speak in public without people looking at me funny. You wanna know why? Because I'm going to _college_, not abusing the fund my dear ole parents gave me."

This time, Sasuke just worked on tuning him out. It didn't work.

"And you know what? My parents respect me for it. I go home on holidays and you know what I get? A piece of sweet, delicious cake and a pat on the back. That's almost as good as a belly rub, but I've gotten plenty of those too..."

The alarm on Sasuke's phone went off, thankfully saving him the trouble of smashing Shisui's brain in with the fire extinguisher and hiding the body. But it also signaled the start of business hours. And this meant hell.

* * *

(*´◇｀*)ハ(*´▽｀*)

* * *

Puffing out her cheeks and crossing her eyes, Hinata Hyuuga made the silliest face that she could manage as she tried to entertain her old editor's child. Kitaru Sarutobi promptly laughed as only a child could do, rewarding Hinata for her effort. Kitaru then began to play with his firetruck, sliding it across the wooden floors with a look of amusement on his sun-kissed face.

"You're a life saver, Hina-chan," Kurenai breathed, coming into the room while placing her earrings in her ears, "Asuma has been wanting to get out for breakfast, just us two, for a while now."

"I don't mind," She replied warmly as she watched Kitaru drive the firetruck up to another automobile, a race car this time, and seemed to trade-off. He now rolled the race car up and down the stretch of floor he had most likely deemed his track. "He's a very sweet child."

Kurenai nodded and then fluttered her eyes closed, "Still, he's a handful. Are you sure you don't mind doing this? I mean, I can't even pa-."

"Kurenai-san, go out and have fun with Asuma-san. I'll look after Kitaru-kun for you, no worries."

"Okay," She murmured, still looking at Hinata with worried eyes, "We'll be back before 12 so that you can meet your editor." Was it just her or was there a trace of jealousy? "Though, honestly, you shouldn't even have to go to him. I may have quit my job but you're a special case. If you need any he-."

"Is Asuma-san waiting downstairs?" Hinata gently reminded her, not wanting to get into the whole editor's mess she managed to place herself in.

Kurenai groaned, "Alright, I'll hurry."

True to her word, she quickened her pace, slipping on a pair of sandals, she grabbed her purse before heading to Kitaru. After scooping him up and plopping a kiss to his forehead, Kurenai patted Hinata's shoulder as she left the room.

"So," the Hyuuga began, "It's just us two, huh?" Kitaru nodded, looked to his toys, then back at her, indecision was clearly on his face. "It's fine, Kitaru-kun, you can play a little while more... if you let me join you?"

Enthusiastically, Kitaru nodded as he handed her a pink miniature convertible. She resisted the urge the coddle him when he flashed her a grin and said, "Pink is a pretty color."

"Yes, Kitaru-kun, but what does pretty mean?" Hinata asked, her teaching mode flashing on as she found a suitable opening.

"Uh..." He thought for a brief moment, his nose scrunched up in concentration before his sparkling red eyes lite up as he answered, "Something nice to look at. Like you."

Hinata blinked before she responded, "I don't know about the last part but you're correct."

He frowned, but seemed to let it go when he suddenly exclaimed, "Watch out! This car is going to crash!"

"Oh well, we can't have that!" Hinata proclaimed, "We must secure it somehow, any idea's Kitaru-kun...?"

Her stay continued much like that, as the two played happily content with life.

* * *

(*´◇｀*)ハ(*´▽｀*)

* * *

"I said that I don't need college, mom. Why can't you understand?" Sasuke groaned out as he listened to his mother nag on the phone. He stood in the bathroom, hoping to not be caught by Shisui as he had done before. Usually when his cousin had found he had been on the phone with his mother, he never let him live it down, incessantly calling him names. This time, however, would be worsened as there was the whole college issue.

"Well then what are going to do with you life, honey? Are you going to do as I ask at the shop for the rest of your life!? I somehow highly doubt that, Sasuke," Mikoto droned on, unperturbed by her son's arguments.

"Christ! I'm only 24, I have pretty much my whole life to figure this out," He rebutted, running a hand through his freshly untied hair. He glared into the mirror as he said this, as if his reflection could inform him what exactly he desired to do in this life of his.

"Your father would be so disappointed to hear this, Sasuke. Do you hear me? You can't live off of us forever!" She snapped back.

Sasuke froze, his reflection in the mirror looking surprised, his lips were slightly parted and his onyx eyes were slightly more round. Then, he quickly bit out his reply as his jaw snapped shut and he grounded out a furious, "You think I live off of you?" He scoffed, "Who do you think runs your shop for you!? Why do you think business is so good these days? You know what, if you think I'm living off of you, I'm moving out! I'm sick and tired of this bull-," he stopped right before he cursed and felt his jaw clamp shut just as he tapped the 'end call' button on his phone.

He kind of wished, for just a moment, that he had a flip phone, _just_ for the satisfaction of slamming it shut. Groaning out his frustrations, he hurriedly fixed his hair after he slid his phone back into his apron pocket. He finished up, just as a knock came at the door and a female voice call to him.

"Er, Sasuke-san, do you want me to take out the sweet turnover's* now?"

He checked his watch and then answered as he walked out of the bathroom, alarming the brunette girl, "Nah, Mika-san, I'll do it myself." Sasuke wandered off to do just that when she interrupted him.

"O-oh," she had murmured, and then when her face brightened she quickly offered, "I'll make some sauce for them... if you want, that is."

"Strawberry, it's popular around this time of year." With that, he went to the oven, putting on his gloves and then took out the turnovers with ease.

"O-okay!" She called to him and when he looked back to her he found her tripping on her feet as she did so.

An onlooker would have thought she had a crush on the Uchiha, but in all actuality, she was just that clumsy. Any person hired was usually checked during the interview of whether or not they had feelings for any of the Uchiha boys working here. Emotions usually got in the way, so the only staff here were the apprentices, people who worked to learn and got bare minimum of pay, and the full-timers, like Mika, who came in on the mornings she was needed to help prepare for the day.

Despite her clumsy, careless ways, Mika had proven herself as not only a superb baker, but as the relative mascot for the pastry shop. Her cute looks were the majority of Mikoto's reason for hiring her. But it didn't matter to Sasuke much, he barely even tolerated her. Shisui, on the other hand, treated her much like a sister. As Mika was the only other full-time worker at "Something Sweet", Mikoto treated her like a daughter, even going as far as inviting her to their home for holidays.

As much as Sasuke wished to be rude to her, or ignore her really, he couldn't unless he wanted to be put under a stern lecture, by both Shisui and his mother.

As if to say "speak of the devil" or rather "think", Shisui popped into view with his terribly nonchalant expression. He waved to Sasuke before heading to Mika to see if she needed help. Sasuke watched as Mika smiled at his cousin but then shook her head while she became to mix something in a bowl.

Idiots, the lot of them were.

* * *

(*´◇｀*)ハ(*´▽｀*)

* * *

It was around 1 in the afternoon when he finally noticed her.

He had been speaking with a customer, trying to do his duty as a pastry chef by helping them decide what they wanted from his oh-so vast collection. He offered helpful suggestions, usually concealed by the very unhelpful glare he gave them as they wasted his time.

"Do you have anything without lactose? I'm intolerant," some guy said, gripping his simmering hot cup of coffee that Sasuke had just delivered while the man tried to make up his mind on what to order. The Uchiha carefully replied, using his generous supply of knowledge to give the best answer possible. He summed it up, remarkably, with only a single word.

"Hn."

"Ah... does that mean yes?" The man asked, confusion in his sleepy eyes. He would have suggested he drink the coffee, if the man hadn't already done so, taking small sips here and there. It was caffeinated and black, with multiple spoonfuls of sugar. Surely it could have woken him up, just a bit. But it didn't seem to be helping him any, at least not in his observation skills. He hadn't even noticed the list put on the chalkboard hanging above his head, even if with the brightly written words of "For The Lactose-Intolerant" popped out with neon colors. Sasuke had no time to spare for the unobservant.

"Hn."

"I still don't... under-."

"Allow me to help you," Shisui brightly interjected as he sidled up to the counter next to Sasuke, "This guy doesn't know his left from his right," He leaned closely over the counter-top as he whispered conspiratorial, "He doesn't go to college."

Narrowing his eyes at his cousin, he turned back to the customer, "We have exactly five pastries that we did not use any form of lactose in. If you're in need of a sugar rush, I would suggest a chocolate covered Choquette's* sprinkled with pearl sugar and a custard filling. As they're small, you can get a box with fifteen of them to go for seven dollars."

The man blinked, as if finally awakening, "I'll go with that then, thank you."

"That'll be eight fifty," Sasuke waited, outwardly patient, inwardly agitated, as the man fished a ten out of his wallet. He quickly deposited the cash and collected the man's change as he wordlessly handed it back. Then, seemingly in no rush, he constructed the order, gathering up the Choquette's and placing them into the box made for to-go orders. He handed them over with a polite smile, inwardly smirking at Shisui. Sasuke could do a decent job if he wanted to.

Yet, as the man turned to leave, box in hand, he was rudely bumped into by a girl with blonde hair and sparkling hazel eyes.

"Ugh, watch where you're going, old man," she told him, sending him a shriveling look as the man jumped back, coffee sloshing as he apologized, his face bright red with embarrassment. Everyone in the vicinity looked up, alarmed by her rather loud and screeching voice. She snorted at his heartfelt sorry and pushed past him as she walked up to the counter, fluttering her lashes at Sasuke as she stepped closer.

He snorted, already disgusted by the girl before him. Sasuke Uchiha was many things, rude and hateful, but there was one thing he was not: he wasn't completely impolite to utter strangers.

The girl seemed to intercept his snort wrong, as if he were laughing at the old man, who was currently frozen in embarrassment. Without a hint of remorse, she leaned forward, revealing ample breasts as she murmured, "Some people can be so rude."

"Yes," he replied simply, "And you are one of them." The glare he gave her then, could have melted brick, and she immediately leaned back, her face going white.

"Wh-what?" She scoffed out.

Instead of replying, Sasuke quickly picked up a cannoli*, one without lactose, and wrapped it up, before walking around the counter and handing it to the man, who stared at him wide-mouthed.

"I apologize on the behalf of one of our ruder patron's," he said, bowing to the man, "If you come back again, I promise this won't happen again."

At first there was silence and then the man coughed out, "Thank you, young man. I'll be sure to visit again."

Sasuke raised his head after that, and the man, seemingly satisfied, left the pastry shop. Yet not before he waved to a young woman with glasses perched on her nose, sitting at the front of the shop, at a tiny table reserved for guests who came alone. She waved back happily enough, despite her odd, pupil-less, lilac tinted eyes filled with worry. When any sign of the man had gone, she adjusted herself, turning back to look at her laptop, seeming to be opened up to microsoft word.

Strangely enough, the moment his eyes fixated on her, the air seemed to freeze around him in an unsettling way as he found that he wanted to look at her longer, perhaps for hours. He wanted to take in her gentle air and maybe note the fact that her hair was a pretty color of indigo. But before he could stare at her long enough to take it all in, the blonde from earlier stomped around. She annoyingly decided that in front of him was a good place to settle as her stomping ceased and he rewarded her with a freezing glare. She gave him a glare of her own, wimpy in comparison to his own.

"Leave," he ground out before she could say a word and he swiftly returned to his place at the counter. Shisui gave him a proud thumbs-up and soon after the girl left with an air of indignation, the pastry shop returned to normal.

And Sasuke found that his eyes, every once in a while, would stray to her corner of the room and watch as she worked. She looked familiar.

* * *

(*´◇｀*)ハ(*´▽｀*)

* * *

Hinata couldn't help but be worried after her editor, Iwashi Tatami, with what had just taken place, nearly an hour ago, at the pastry shop she had started visiting just last week. It was slowly turning into one of her favorite places to write, as the shop always seemed to be buzzing with activity. Her new editor hadn't deserved to be pushed around, no matter how pushy he was with his ideas for her story, by the girl with pretty eyes. She was rather rude, as she pushed aside Iwashi when he had just gotten his order. It had nearly spilled his coffee, and that wasn't something that should ever happen. Burns of the skin are no laughing matter. But it didn't matter anymore, she had already sent an apology email to him, wondering if perhaps he might never come back. He still hadn't replied.

Sighing, she tried to focus on something else, looking to her laptop and was suddenly awash in grief. Hinata hadn't managed to reach her word count for the day and most it had already been wasted. Lately, she hadn't been getting her set word count of 15k, and this didn't bode well for the future of this book. Flustered, she attempted to write despite the horrible block keeping her from writing out magic.

'_She felt the air around her stir, as she took a single step forward. Alarmed, she spun on her heel... only to fi-_' No, that isn't right. Her male lead should enter a tad bit later. But how? Or rather, when? Somehow the discussion she had with her editor earlier did her no good, as she really couldn't recall anything that had been said. Feeling as if she were about to cry, she took a quick bite out of her pumpkin spice cinnamon roll and washed it down with a quick swig of her sweetened iced lemonade. Immediately, she was calmed but not nearly as much as she wanted to be. Perhaps lemonade had been a bad choice today. Maybe it was the reason for her frustrations. A doubtful conclusion but she needed to have _something_ she could blame it on.

Finally, she stopped staring longingly at her screen, expecting this scene to write itself, and stood. Hoping to find something better on the menu, she went to the counter, waiting patiently as two women before her chatted with one of the workers, a boy with curled, unkempt black hair and onyx eyes. She thought she had heard someone call him "Shisui" but she wasn't sure as it might be the other boy who was named that.

She was there only for a minute, but before she had to wait any longer a voice called to her.

"Miss?" Murmured a deep, husky voice. She looked toward it and found that she was being watched by the one who might be named Shisui. He was slightly better looking than the other guy, with his slicked back hair pulled in a rather short ponytail. His bangs were pulled back from his face with a purple hairpin. His face was blemish free, if a little stony, and he looked to be attempting a smile. It was more of a grimace.

"Oh... hi," she murmured, suddenly feeling shy and awkward. As he continued to look at her, she felt a slight rosy color flood her cheeks as she went on, "Um, I-I was wondering..." She hesitated. Was it rude to ask for something not on the menu?

"Yes?" He inquired, looking to get a bit impatient.

"Do happen to have a tea for calming the nerves?" She fought against her nervous habit to touch her fingers when she was nervous. And boy was she nervous. She really hated to intrude but more than that, she hated feeling as if she was troubling people.

However, much to her surprise, he said, "I made some tea this morning, with lemon balm leaves, if that's what you want."

She quickly nodded, "How much would that be then?"

"Nothing, it's on the house," he paused, then added, "You look like you could use it."

She nodded again, this time, wondering if she looked as frazzled as she felt, "T-Thank you very much."

He nodded, before disappearing somewhere in the back of the shop, coming back a few moments later with a cup. As he handed her it, he passed her a straw and that's when something rather disturbing happened.

Her flesh felt as if she'd been stung the moment his hand touched hers. They jumped apart, both startled.

"I-I'm sorry," she stammered out, not sure _what_ she was apologizing for. "I'll be leaving now," she murmured out as she turned on her heel and went back to her table. After a few minutes passed, her heart seemed to slow down and the flush of her cheeks seemed to die down. Yet she still felt a slight tingle from where they had made contact.

Shaking her head, Hinata took a sip of her iced tea, discovering it to be in a nice balance of sweet and unsweetened. For a brief moment, she wondered if that was the personality of the man who had given it to her. Perhaps. But something gnawed at her head, as if she had seen him somewhere before.

* * *

(*´◇｀*)ハ(*´▽｀*)

* * *

The next day, she was woken up by a loud knock on her door. Startled, she sat up and looked to the clock. It was still only 7, an hour before she usually got up. when the knock came again, she felt her face flush before she quickly grabbed her robe. As she tugged it on, she opened her bedroom door, hoping whoever was there hadn't waited long. However, the moment she got the door open, she felt someone wrap their arms around her and she looked down, only to be faced with her little sister's expression of distress.

"H-Hanabi?" She wondered, worried over what she had seen. Still, she blinked owlishly while she waited for her brain to wake up.

"It's horrible!" Hanabi wailed into her sister's chest, "Dad said he's decided on who I was going to marry."

"Who?" Hinata demanded to know in a whisper soft voice as she looked urgently at her little sister.

"He didn't say. I kind of ran out before he could say anything else to me," She whimpered out, her lips drawing into a pout as she leaned back from her sister, but still clung on.

Hinata, ever the patient one with her sister's moods, smoothed back her hair and wiping away any tears of panic from her unblemished face. "Then how are you going to establish a solid argument against him if you don't even know his name?" Hinata inquired.

Hanabi looked surprised, "Is that how you got out of marrying someone?"

Wordlessly, she nodded. Hiashi Hyuuga was a man who, if reasoned with correctly, would either make a deal, or if you're lucky, give up entirely on whatever he wanted from you. Hinata had been lucky, very, very lucky when she had managed to put a stop to Hiashi's desire for her to be wedded to Itachi Uchiha. She hadn't wanted to marry someone she'd never met before, much less seen a picture of. At first, Hiashi had been adamant in his choice, professing that this would be a large financial decision that would solidify that even old money was good money. It wasn't until she brought up the fact that she wasn't the heiress to the family's money that he finally left the idea alone.

However, Hanabi would have a difficult time getting out of marriage, even if she only turned 18 last month. Feeling worried for her sister, Hinata gently led her sister back to her bed.

"How about we stay here for a little bit and think about what we'll do," Hinata suggested as she plucked her forgotten glasses from the nightstand. She put them on, her vision sharpening as she did so.

"I guess so," Hanabi muttered as she picked up a large stuffed rabbit. She gave it an amused look, as if it might have all the answers she needed, and then she hugged it close to her chest. Hinata looked at her sister with a gentle smile after they had both settled themselves on the bed.

"So it seems we have to outsmart him,"She started and Hinata nodded, "Maybe we can... Ugh. I don't know. Daddy says _I'm_ the smart one of us two and yet I can't even come up with a simple plan of action."

"It's not smarts we'll be needing, Hana-chan. It's creativity."

"Oh yeah, like being able to paint a picture will do us any good," Hanabi retorted with a snort.

Hinata frowned, "No, that won't help us. But what will," she paused, thinking quickly, "is if Father already thinks you're spoken for. But it has to be someone bigger, more connections than the one he's picked out for you."

"Uh, cool idea and stuff but I doubt there's anyone that exists like that."

"Konohamaru?" Hinata suggested and watched as her little sister's face flushed brightly. Sitting up straighter, Hanabi threw the stuffed rabbit at her with a small shout.

"As if! He's totally on the way, way bottom of the list!"

Hinata blinked. Could it be...? She shook her head. Hanabi wasn't the type to stupidly fall in love. Hanabi was the smarter one of them both; the tests had proven in it when Hinata got a lower score on her IQ, a 156 to be exact. It was a good score, and some would consider her a genius. But compared to the 172 Hanabi got, the eldest Hyuuga was no more than a bumbling idiot.

"I'll check around then, but you should probably get more information from Father. Like say, his name," Hinata teased her gently.

Hanabi nodded, "Do-able."

* * *

(*´◇｀*)ハ(*´▽｀*)

* * *

True to her word, Hinata did check around. But much to her dismay, she found no one that could possibly be a fake fiancé, or rather no one willing to. Hiashi's reputation as a rather protective and doting father had spread. This issue caused her to agonize over having to disappoint her sister thanks to herself being so inept that all she could show for her effort was the large phone bill she had accumulated by so many oversea calls.

Sighing, she sipped at her lemonade as she sat in her favorite place in the world, guiltily enjoying how the sun shone through the window of the tiny pastry shop of "Something Sweet" and warmed her skin. She still had her laptop open, have of the screen filled with words by the other was a blank white, but today had been a much better day than the last. She was only 2k from her word count limit and it was barely 2 in the afternoon. It seems inspiration hit her when she was under duress.

After a brief moment wasted, she looked up at the shop clerks, eyeing the one she had spoken to yesterday. His face nagged at her, it was as if she should know his name from somewhere but no matter how long she thought about it. She would have looked at the name-tag, if there had been on in the first place. And the other clerk wasn't forth-coming with the name either, as he tended to use absurd nicknames that, one way or another, came back to ducks. It was strange.

Either way, she did confirm something. Shisui was not his name.

Hinata blinked. Why was she so interested? For now it was just curiosity but this nostalgia... She blinked again, and then looked back at her screen. She had been typing, but it wasn't her story, it was a name:

Naruto Uzumaki.

It was her highschool crush, the boy she had, honestly, been in love with since the day she first saw him when she was five. She, at first, felt a sudden painful tug at her heart and then her skin flushed. Why couldn't she get _over_ him already was beyond her. But wait, that's right, he hadn't even given her his reply to her confession. Hinata understood that he hadn't wanted to hurt her feelings, or make her cry but it had taken so much courage to do it, she at least wanted _something_.

Unsettled, she highlighted the name that she had typed in repeatedly and promptly hit the backspace.

She wished she could've done the same for when she told Naruto how she felt.

* * *

(*´◇｀*)ハ(*´▽｀*)

* * *

It had been several days since Sasuke had started taking note of her. He wasn't watching her, no, but every once in a while he would look up and take in what her face looked like at the moment. Through that, he found that she had a vast array of expressions behind that set of glasses.

Firstly, she bit her lip a lot, usually when she was concentrating, or looked to be hard at work on her computer, her fingers practically flying over the keyboard as she typed. However, her face rarely ever scrunched up like his did when he tried to focus better. The girl also sometimes smiled, her lips slightly twitching as she did so, as if she had something she found amusing on that screen of hers. But there were many different expressions as well, ones of undeniable frustration, embarrassment, and sadness.

Sasuke's favorite at the moment, if you could even call it that, was the one where her face flushed a bright red, almost resembling the color of a tomato, which usually reminded himself to eat the turkey tomato sandwich he made for himself that morning. Perhaps it was weird, looking at her and then thinking of food, but it wasn't as if he wanted to eat _her._ Yet that look was oddly cute. Sasuke really didn't understand why he even took the time, however small it was, to look at her. She was hardly interesting, aside from her strange eyes.

But he wasn't the only one who had taken note of her, as Shisui had ended up pointing her out to him on a slow hour. He had said she was turning into a regular, a recent one among many of the girls who came to stop by and see the Uchiha boys at work. His cousin had noted the fact that she never came for them, however, but it looked to be the atmosphere she was there for. Which sounded weird to Sasuke. He hated this shop's air, always so clouded and filled with so much _noise_.

But another thing his cousin had told him was the order of sweetened iced lemonade, paired with an éclair as well as a pumpkin spice cinnamon roll she usually got when she cam. And as Sasuke continued his noticing of her, he saw that she usually nibbled on the roll as the day went on, and she left with the éclair in hand at 5, an hour before closing time. On rare days, when she looked to be having a terrible time, she ate both. Sasuke, strangely enough, despite his claim of "just noticing her", had taken to always making a pitcher of lemon balm tea, even going as far as to sweeten it just as he did last time, if she ever needed it or asked for it.

Since the first day, however, she never did.

He could still feel his fingers tingle when he thought of when they had touched. It hadn't been a painful sting, just a warm one that seemed to send electricity down his spine. The touch was too brief to see if it was anything like a zapper, or whatever you call them. But from what he'd observed, she wasn't the type to fool around with parlor tricks, especially on strangers.

Shaking his head, Sasuke decided that he would stop this foolery immediately, and worked on undoing whatever spell she had put on him, forcing him to "notice" her.

It didn't work very well.

* * *

(*´◇｀*)ハ(*´▽｀*)

* * *

"So do you have a name?" Hinata questioned her sister with a gentle look of concern on her face as they sat on her bed again, just as they had a few mornings ago.

"Yup, I do. It's... Hinata, you won't believe it..."

"Wait, who is it?"

"It's Neji-nii-san."

The eldest Hyuuga blinked her eyes repeated before repeating what her sister had said with an open look of surprised horror, "But your cousins, practically brother and sister!"

"I know, that's what I told dad too, but then he was all, 'We won't have problems with you both getting along, now will we?'. And when I went as far as to say that Neji-nii-san has a girlfriend, TenTen ya know, he even said, 'Neji-kun will do as I say, and I say I want this union'."

"Did he say why?" Hinata prompted.

"Yeah, he just talked about how he wanted to keep the superior Hyuuga genes in the family."

"How terrible," Hinata couldn't help but murmur under her breath, "How are we going to find anyone better than Neji-nii-san?"

"I don't know, but I hope it's soon. I kind of overheard _my betrothed_," Hanabi muttered sarcastically before continuing, "talking to TenTen over the phone today and I think she was crying."

Hinata was immediately torn between feeling absolutely horrible for her good friend or chiding Hanabi for invading in on someone else's business.

"I'll talk to her tomorrow then, see if I can cheer her up," Hinata added as she drew her knees up to her chest.

"Oh, good idea, I will too."

* * *

(*´◇｀*)ハ(*´▽｀*)

* * *

_What will this scene even be_, Hinata questioned herself as she stared at the tiny space she had cleared for something new to be added. This one was meant to be a transition, to help ease the characters into their next actions but she couldn't think of anything, her mind was blank and unforthcoming with ideas. She felt tempted to call Kurenai, to ask for help, but chided herself when she thought about how tired her old editor had been as of late, considering what a rough pregnancy she was undergoing with her second child. She was probably napping, or busy with Kitaru.

Nibbling on her éclair, she just stared thoughtfully at the screen and before long, they turned to her earlier conversation with TenTen.

"Your father is an insane, selfish bastard, you know that right?" The brunette had started as soon as she answered Hinata's call.

"TenTen, it'll be fine, we'll get this problem fixed soon. You know for a fact that I wouldn't let Hanabi be married to someone who she didn't love, much less Neji-nii-san," The eldest Hyuuga had been speaking softly yet firmly, as if it were a no brainer that she's come to the rescue. Although, it most likely hadn't been one, as Hinata was usually too shy to rescue anything, "Besides, I'm sure Neji-nii-san will be fighting agai-."

"He isn't. He's perfectly fine with this arrangement. You know him, he _wants_ to be the head of your family."

Hinata froze. _What?_

"And you know what he said to me when I asked what he wanted to do with us?" TenTen asked and Hinata shook her head, forgetting that she couldn't be seen through the phone. But TenTen didn't need an answer to that question as she rushed on by exclaiming, "He said that I could be his mistress. How could he..." Hinata then heard something that suspiciously sounded akin to crying as TenTen sucked in a breath. But before Hinata could even attempt at comforting her, she continued, "How could he say that to me? I hate him," the brunette ground out viciously, "He can go die in a whole for all I care!"

That was when Hinata took the chance to interject by murmuring a soft, "Let's meet up later today, have a girls night."

At first TenTen had absolutely detested the idea but as Hinata cajoled her, she had finally agreed to it and then they had ended the call. Hinata sighed once again, barely more than slight huff as she started typing aimlessly on her laptop. In the end, what she had was quickly erased when she saw _what_ she'd been typing. Again, Naruto's name.

"Having trouble there?" A familiar husky voice asked and she turn from her computer, looking up when she realized the question had been addressed to her.

"A-ano," Hinata began, abruptly made of lit up nerves when she recognized one of the clerks, the one who had given her tea before, "No...?" She had thought that was the best thing to say, as when she studied his expression she found that he looked agitated, as if he didn't want to help her but felt obligated to.

"Says the girl who has just been staring at her screen for half an hour now," he muttered with dark humor as his eyes narrowed at her in thought, "You a writer?"

She nodded, "I, um, I'm on the last novel for this series I've had on going for a while... and it's difficult writing the end," But if she were honest with herself, it was frankly _more_ than that. She felt as if she were letting go apart of her own soul if she said goodbye to the series.

"I don't understand the feeling," he told her bluntly but then gazed at her thoughtfully, "My brother is an author so I know a bit about the writing process, if you'll allow me to help you out." He looked just as surprised that he himself offered her, a complete stranger, help. Hinata tilted her head to look at him again, still feeling as if she's seen him before but she let the feeling go and thought about his proposal.

"I d-don't even know your name," Hinata whispered after a moment of pause. It was his turn to tilt his head, and then after giving her a rueful smirk, he answered.

"Sasuke. You?"

"Hinata," she replied, deliberately withholding her last name, as he had most likely done.

"So? You want help? I'm on my break now, so I can spare a few minutes."

The Hyuuga was still hesitant, first glancing at him and then at her laptop. After a few seconds, she nodded.

"Now," Sasuke started with, presenting a smirk as he slid a vacant chair to her little island of a table, "What's your book about?"

* * *

Pastries Mentioned:

*Vol-au-vent - French for "Windblown". And to give an idea of what they look like, these delicious things are usually made by cutting two circles in rolled out puff pastry (light, flaky, leavened pastry containing several layers of fat), cutting a hole in one of them, then stacking the ring-shaped piece on top of the disc-shaped piece. The fillings are usually made to be sweet, but can be salty.

*Éclair - An oblong pastry made with choux dough filled with a cream and topped with icing.

*Turnover - Basically dough folded over dough with filling in the middle. They can either be salty or sweet.

*Choquette - A type of viennoiserie (baked goods made from a yeast-leavened dough) consisting of a small portion of choux pastry sprinkled with pearl sugar and sometimes filled with custard or mousse. A chouquette can also be dipped in chocolate or covered in chocolate chips.

*Cannoli - A tube-shaped shell of fried pastry dough, filled with a sweet, creamy filling usually containing ricotta.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Alright, a couple of things. I'm trying not to rush this so the romance may be slow going, even if it was kind of rushed in this chapter. But I want this to span across at least 15 chapters, perhaps more, with at least 6k each chapter. I'll try reaching 9k however, if enough people kindly _**review**_. Anyway, I'm combining two of my favorite things in this story, sweets, particularity pastries, and writing. Another thing, the main pairing is SasuHina, and no other pairings have been decided on so let me know what you might want.

Okay, so now that I've wasted so much of your time, allow me to waste a little more of your time by kindly asking you to **REVIEW** (sorry for caps) and tell me what you think! OvO

With Love, Miyuusen~


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Holy crap! Thank you for all the kind reviews! And to the guest, SBello, well, we seem to have some things in common! I seriously didn't expect for it to get so popular so quick! Anyway, sorry if the chapter seems off, I don't edit much as I get to busy to do it and I don't like making people wait.

And so sorry this chapter is so short! ;A; I wanted this to be longer but I ended up spending more time on my other stories on other sites (They were all in need of urgent updates) so I promise the next chapter will be 10k!

**Disclaimer:**I do not own any characters from _Naruto_. Only this story and plot-line.

**Beta:** Anyone interested? You'll be do a great act of kindness for this story!

* * *

Something Sweet

by Miyuusen

2

.

少年は無意識の中で少女の影に安らぎを見てた

少女の瞳の奥の抱え切れない程の悲しみさえも知らずにただ恋をしてた

.

Before he knew it the boy found comfort in the girl's shadow

before he could realize

He fell in love without even knowing of the unbearable sadness

hidden in her eyes

- Hanabi by MUCCムック

* * *

(∿°○°)∿ ︵ ǝʌol

* * *

_The raven-haired boy sat back, wiggling his toes as he looked at the sand box with revulsion. His nii-chan wouldn't ever play there and yet his 'kaa-san expected _him_ to play with the other kids there. He couldn't lower himself to do so and he suffered for his biased views. His mother had left to do some errands, believing the six-year-old to be mature for his age and as such, he would be left to his own devices. Besides, he wasn't _really_ alone. Kushina Uzumaki, a pretty woman who served as his mothers best friend, had brought her own son to the park._

_Naruto Uzumaki was his best friend, and he knew that it would _always_ be that way. So Sasuke didn't need friends; he had the blonde weirdo after all. But this time around, Naruto had left to play with the other kids, with Shikamaru and Choji, perhaps Kiba but Naruto said he couldn't stand the kids dog breath. So Sasuke was alone with Kushina, sitting on the bench that was only a few inches away from the sand box. _

"_Why don't you go play?" she asked and Sasuke gave her blank stare, "I mean, you look to be having no fun at all. Maybe we could go get Naruto and find a onigiri stand, dattebane?" the Uzumaki suggested, nervously staring at the six-year-old as she touched her bright red hair. _

"_Okay."_

"_Naruto!" she yelled, her voice easily carrying over the noise. The blonde boy looked up, hands holding trading cards and grinning. He hastily dropped them and ran over, smiling at the Uchiha broadly as he noticed that they were both standing up to leave. _

"_Ramen?" he asked and Sasuke groaned._

"_No, sweetie, we're having that for dinner," Kushina informed him, ruffling his hair as the blonde sighed in disappointment, "Besides, your father will be home tonight."_

"_He will!?" Naruto exclaimed, his eyes brightening, "I can't wait!" He paused then, looked to Sasuke and grinned hesitantly, "Do you think Sasuke can stay the night?"_

_Kushina looked thoughtful, then nodded as she said, "As long as Mikoto is okay with it."_

"_Awesome!"_

_Sasuke said nothing, knowing that no matter what, he would be staying the night at his best friends house. He thought of the shop, only for a sweet brief moment, and decided that his grandma wouldn't mind if he didn't come in the morning to help out. _

_He didn't know that his dear grandmother had died at the exact moment he had thought that._

* * *

(≚ᄌ≚)ℒℴѵℯ❤

* * *

"You're late," TenTen accused as she took in a fairly frazzled Hinata Hyuuga.

"I'm so so s-sorry!" She nervously murmured, blushing. She had gotten so enraptured in talking of her novel that she had forgotten that she needed to go to TenTen's house at five. She had stayed till closing time, surprised by how long Sasuke's "break" was. They had spent enough time together for her to explain the concept of the entire seven book series that would end with the eighth.

The story was of a girl too shy to function being subjected to a land of samurai and shinobi. It sold well, even going as far as to be the basis of a drama in South Korea. They lived in Japan so it didn't exactly air there for a while, but Hinata had made it her mission to watch every single episode when it came out. It was safe to say that this series had been her whole entire universe since she graduated from college when she was 22 and she came up with the idea. To be honest, she had based characters off of people she knew in real life, so in actuality, the story _was_ her life.

"I guess it's fine. Get in here and show the goods," TenTen broke her out of her reverie, gesturing to the grocery bag Hinata clutched tightly in her grasp. The Hyuuga nodded and walked into the apartment, admiring the neatness of it. Her own home with Hanabi was also as neat as can be but instead of looking as if no one had ever stepped foot inside, the Hyuuga's home was nice and homey, always smelling faintly of lavender.

"Sorry for the intrusion," Hinata murmured and was led by TenTen into the kitchen, another neat-as-can-be place. She laid her bag down at the table in there, careful not to ruin anything. Then, just as carefully, she emptied the bag of its contents: ice cream, her wrapped éclair, chocolate, crackers and cheese, you know, the works.

"Oh, Hina-chan, you know me so well," TenTen wailed, tears streaming down her face as she launched her arms around the startled girl. Nevertheless, Hinata smiled softly and combed at TenTen's air, which she finally noticed was down. Usually she wore her hair in twin buns but this time, her long hair ran long over her shoulders and down her back. She looked more feminine that way, _softer._ But this wasn't TenTen, so Hinata ended up artfully fixing her friends hair while the brunette sobbed into her chest.

Then, oh-so gently, she wrapped her arms around TenTen and squeezed, "Of course I do, you're like family to me, Ten-chan, sisters." And she was. Hinata Hyuuga was hardly the type to give friend's nicknames but TenTen was the exception. They had grown up together and even if the girl was older, they had protected each other. TenTen had been a big help when she herself recovered from heartbreak.

"Thank you," the brunette murmured, pulling away with puffy red eyes. She then looked to the ice cream, seeing it was chocolate mint, she smiled slightly and snatched it up quickly, "My favorite. God, you're the best." Then she looked to the éclair, taking in the paper it was wrapped in, "'Something Sweet'? Sounds like a cute gimmick."

Hinata nodded, "You can have that. Their pastries are very good," mindlessly she added, "I write there in the day," the Hyuga smiled cheerfully, "Maybe we could go together sometime."

TenTen had the treat unwrapped quickly as she bit into it, "_OH. _This is good. It's so fluffy and creamy and _good_," she gushed, taking rather large bites but chewing slowly, "The woman who made this has hands of God."

Hinata nodded before hesitating. She was fairly certain it had either been made by Shisui or Sasuke, or perhaps the adorable girl they had working for them. So she spoke up, smiling, "I actually think the baker is a man."

"Ooh, sexy, as is any man who cooks. Is he good-looking?"

Hinata blushed, thinking of her new friend but nodded nonetheless. Sasuke was rather pleasant to look at, although he didn't seem to enjoy the stares very much. "He's very... um, cool." She had meant the word as in temperature, as in his cold stony nature, but TenTen took it wrong.

She smiled, her brown puffy eyes lighting up, "Does someone have a crush?"

Vehemently, Hinata shook her head, "No. He's an acquaintance." Who on Earth would fall in love at first sight, anyway? Oh that's right. Her. Mentally, she shook her head of the thoughts about a certain blonde boy and grabbed the other carton of ice cream, which was blueberry cheesecake.

"Oh, and...," Hinata murmured, flushing as she recalled an important fact, "Hanabi might be coming over soon."

Immediately, the brunette burst into angry tears.

"I do _not_ want to see _her!_"

Hinata held back a sigh as she immediately went forward to calm the girl. This would be a long night.

* * *

(∿°○°)∿ ︵ ǝʌol

* * *

Sasuke sighed, zipping up his hoodie as he trudged his way to his apartment. Unlike what his mother said, he _did_ have a home that _he_ paid for on his own. Of course the money was actually from his grandmother but nonetheless, he didn't live off of _them_, he lived off of his dead grandmother, the only one, aside from Itachi and his mother, that he would freely admit (as a child) that he loved. In a way, she was his reason for staying with the pastry shop, but really he stayed for entirely another unmentionable reason.

The night was a chilly one, even going as far as to make his breath form puffs of mist. It gave him a nostalgic feeling. He and his grandmother used to sit outside on a bench and make a game of trying to form different shapes, even as it seemed impossible.

"_I can make clouds, look at that!" a little Sasuke shouted animatedly, joking about his inability to make a pig. His grandmother laughed, big and hearty as she smoothed his hair back. _

"_You're so talented, Sasuke!" she had said happily, her voice bright and resounding, "You could do anything you want, little crow."_

Sasuke could remember looking into her onyx eyes, seeing himself inside of them and thinking, _Yes, I'm talented._ But that kind of cocky thinking got him where he was now: living with his best friend and baking the very stuff he hates. He had learned after she died that he really couldn't do _everything_. He was rich, smart, athletic, good-looking, and for a long time, he was _able_ to do all he wanted.

He went to college thinking that he could somehow find the answer to his great question. And he found that it only left him in more of a confused, flustered state. If there was anything Sasuke hated more than sweets, it was being _flustered_ or anything akin to it. But still, he could never solve the question. If he could do whatever he wanted, what did he _want _to do with his life?

He didn't want to bake for the rest of his life but that would surely be a moot point if he continued on this way.

Releasing a soft growl, Sasuke opened the door to his apartment, flicking on the lights as he took off his shoes and took off his . Looking around, he found that Naruto wasn't home and probably wouldn't be until his band practice was over. It was another one of Naruto's phases. First, he wanted to be the Prime Minister, then he wanted to be a teacher, and now he wants to be in a famous band. Sasuke was certain that the blonde had less of a clue about what he wanted to do in the future than he did. That was saying something.

Idly, Sasuke headed to the living room, a modest place with a flat screen TV and cable. This is what he needed. A good old fashion movie marathon was what he needed to take his mind off of the bakery, his mom, and _college_. He would eat something later, most likely when Naruto got home and started complaining. It was always like that, always so predictable and _easy._ Never did he have to guess what he'd be doing the next day or if he was ready for it. It would be a blessing for most but for him... well.

God, how boring his life was.

* * *

(≚ᄌ≚)ℒℴѵℯ❤

* * *

Four buckets of ice cream, one chick flick, and five bags of chips later, the three girls found themselves in a relative food-coma. Hinata swore she would exercise this all of later but more than likely, she'll just settle for skipping out on breakfast and walking for a week. Unlike the other two girls besides her, Hinata had always had weight issues, whether she be too fat or too muscular, she could never win. It was one of the main reasons she ended up wearing the clothes she did: baggy pants and shirts. Usually, they fit her better on the days she was bloated but really, she was too afraid to downsize.

And too afraid that if she got anything smaller, _it_ would be visible.

It was a fight she would never win and one she was giving up on.

It wasn't like she had anyone to impress anymore. Naruto was gone from her life, having disappeared the moment she graduated from college. She was alone now, and would more than likely die with her non-existent cats and stacks of books that she would take to the grave.

But this train of thought was rather depressing, and Hinata usually did her best to stay positive, so she looked to TenTen and Hanabi. She took in the sight of both of them sleeping, like they were kids hair was splayed out against the pillows they had set out earlier, and their bodies were wrapped up tightly against each other in a blanket that was less than spacious. Hinata's breath caught in her throat at the sight. It was a nostalgic feeling that consumed her.

She could still remember when TenTen had spent the night with them as children and it had been for _Hinata_ and not Neji. TenTen had been her support, all up until the brunette had been assigned a group project with Neji and Lee. Then everything changed.

"_Hinata, if you won't be needing me, I'll be going out with Neji-san!"_ _TenTen informed the thirteen year old Hyuuga, blushing as she did so._

"_Oh, it's... f-fine, I hope you have f-fun," Hinata had replied, not wanting to be selfish and perhaps, _okay_ with being alone. _

In reality, it was the start of her breaking point, the start of her being lowered and demeaned in her families ranks.

It was the start of Hanabi being chosen to be the heiress.

And the beginning of Hinata Hyuuga's downfall.

* * *

(≚ᄌ≚)ℒℴѵℯ❤

* * *

The next day, Hinata found herself blinking her eyes open to a picture of a dog. Then, TenTen's voice saying:

"I'm getting it."

Confused, the wide-eyed girl sat up, taking the offered picture into her hand, "I...w-what?" she stammered out.

"I'm getting this dog. You see, Hanabi knows this guy named Kiba Inuzuka who is selling puppies. I want you to go with me because Hanabi needs to talk to your dad."

_Kiba Inuzuka_? Why did that name sound familiar? For a brief moment, she considered that person being a friend from the past but really, she would have remembered such a name. Sighing, she thought about her plans for the day. She didn't really need to write much today. Yesterday, with Sasuke, she had met her word count goal for the day, finishing up the week. As it was Saturday, the shop wouldn't be open until 2. So for now, she had nowhere to be. Hesitantly, she gave TenTen a tight-lipped smile and nodded.

"Great! Get ready! It's already 10," TenTen exclaimed, her eyes bright, "Hanabi has left already so we'll eat breakfast and head out!"

Hinata would question why the brunette was so cheerful, had it not been for her feelings of relief. Finally, her good friend was acting _somewhat_ normal and that was the best that she could ask for at this time. Maybe she should get a puppy too, if it'd make her happier.

After eating breakfast, and getting dressed, the two of them left, laughing over some silly inside joke Hinata had brought up and ready for the day.

The place where the puppy was at, or rather the Inuzuka household, was a large structure that managed to look modern yet traditional all at once. The colors blended in to give the aura of home, or the sense of it and Hinata found herself relaxing into the scenery. They knocked, waiting for someone to answer, when a voice spoke up behind them.

"Hinata Hyuuga?" a deep voice, a man's voice, had said. She felt herself jump in surprise as she whipped around. A man stood there, eyes wide and mouth hanging open. He was a handsome man, with the only strange thing about him being the red marks upon his face. His hair was brown and spiked, shimmering slightly in the bright sun as his highlights were reflected. He looked familiar. More than familiar... those marks...

She scrunched up her nose in concentration, attempting to remember but feeling blocked. It was like an odd sense of presque vu. "H-hello," she whispered, feeling the need for conversation to help work her brain through this.

"Do you remember me?" the boy asked excitedly, "It's me, Kiba! We went to school together when we were 12 or something."

Immediately, Hinata paled.

Oh no. Kiba was from the past, the past she could hardly remember aside from the few things that she could recall after the years in therapy.

"I-I'm so sorry," she stammered, feeling horribly guilty, "I... don't recall... you're familiar but..."

He looked hurt, eyes dimming as he bobbed his head in understanding, "I get it, it was quite a while ago, I guess."

She shook her head, choking on the words that she wanted to release but couldn't. She looked to TenTen for help, the brunette looking rather uncomfortable.

"Hinata... er,sort of has a really bad memory due to the accident," the brunette ended up saying, "She doesn't have much recollection from before she was thirteen."

Her heart sunk at the mere mention of the words: _the accident._

Because it hadn't been one. It had been a very deliberate occurrence.

* * *

(∿°○°)∿ ︵ ǝʌol

* * *

"Christ, you're a pig," Sasuke muttered, looking at Naruto with the feeling of annoyance.

The blonde looked up, mouth hanging open as he looked to be stuffing his face with the pastries Sasuke's mother had ordered him to make. But the Uchiha didn't mind, it meant he didn't have to eat it himself. It was barely one, a little aways from the shops opening at two and the Uzumaki, being the ever-present garbage disposal, was eating all of the stale pastries.

"I'm just being helpful," he replied without thought and then grinned, "So tonight...? Bring a date, alright!? You can't get out of this one."

Sasuke groaned, "Why do I have to bring somebody to your crappy gig anyway?"

"Because you agreed to come to our shows so that more girls would come," Naruto said, grinning, the frowned, "Although, I don't get why you being there is such a big deal. They should come for the music."

Sasuke bobbed his head slightly in agreement. He'd never really known why the girls were so crazy about him. He used to think it was because of his brother but now-a-days, the two were hardly seen together enough for them to be known as siblings. Blowing out a breath of air, "Do I even have to bring a date?"

"Well, yeah," Naruto muttered, eyes turning to glare at the pastry chef, "Remember last time? Some of the girls got really creepy when they thought you were single."

That's true. Some of the girls, and even some boys, had ended up clinging to him in the mosh pit. Very uncomfortable. Some even attempted to follow him home and he ended up having to call the police. Very troublesome, as Shikamaru would say.

"I guess I'll ask Sakura then..." Sasuke muttered. She was probably the only female aside from his mother that he could stand. When they were kids, she had that stupid crush but after the group project he and her were assigned with in school, they soon became standard friends. They often used each other, however, as Sakura had been doing work as a model for Ino Yamanaka's clothing line and had been receiving more attention because of it. It was no-brainer why he needed her assistance for fake dates.

Naruto nodded, his face turning thoughtful, "Whatever, okay, well I guess I should be going. The band is having an early rehearsal for tonight."

"This gig is that big?" Sasuke asked, raising a brow. They never practice the day of a performance, claiming it was something they didn't need.

"Well, yeah, some big producer will be there," Naruto grinned, blue eyes shining as he threw his hands up, "This'll be our chance, believe it!"

"Well good luck then," Sasuke murmured.

* * *

(≚ᄌ≚)ℒℴѵℯ❤

* * *

"So what're you naming her?" Kiba asked as his eyes stayed on the face of a flushing Hinata Hyuuga. Despite this, the question was aimed at TenTen, who stood awkwardly with a puppy in her arms that seemed to have tired out.

"Probably something generic, like Snowball. I'm not the imaginative type," Then, a nervous laugh, "Hinata is, maybe she can come up with something cooler."

Kiba nodded, his face screwing up into one that probably meant he wasn't impressed, "Well, you got my mom's number, right? Call if you need any help."

"O-okay," TenTen stammered out, uncharistically stuttering, "Well, I guess we'll be leaving now that we got the food and stuff..."

"Bye."

"B-bye," Hinata replied to the stoney face of the Inuzuka. Then, a soft, "Sorry" as she quickly made her escape.

The moment they left, TenTen released a half-choked laugh, "What was that all about? I don't even know what to think."

Hinata stayed quiet, too ashamed to speak. True, it wasn't _her_ fault that she had forgotten about him but she still felt bad. Perhaps she should've lied? No... that would be dishonest and heartless. She should be proud of herself, proud that she managed to speak to him at all without fainting. She had never been very good with strangers. But-.

"Wait!" Kiba's voice called, just as the two girls made their way to Hinata's car.

She turned, face bright red, "Y-yes?" She half expected for him to be angry, to yell at her for forgetting him. But he didn't. His face looked hot with a blush of his own. It was strangely... cute.

"Okay, I want you to know me."

"I...wh-what?" She had never thought those would be the words he'd choose to say.

"You don't know me, right? Well, that doesn't sit well with me and that's not cool. So I want to get to know you too. Here's _my_ number. Call me later. Promise?" While he handed her a slip of paper, he looked to be wanting to be anywhere but there, his face flushed and his stance uneasy.

She took it, noting the sloppy writing of the digits and smiling hesitantly while she did so, "Thank you for understanding, Kiba-san."

"No 'san', _please_, we're friends now!" Kiba informed her as he made his way back into his family's home.

Strangely, she actually felt as if she could drop the 'san'. But only to replace it with 'kun', that is.

* * *

(∿°○°)∿ ︵ ǝʌol

* * *

"What do you mean you can't come?" Sasuke asked, restraining himself from groaning as he spoke to the pinkette.

"I, um... I can't. I, er, well. To be specific, I have a meeting with your brother about his book."

"Wait, why? You're a doctor, there shouldn't be a reason for you to meet him about anything," then his mind whirred to life with hypothesis, "He's not sick, is he?" Immediately, the Uchiha felt his heart sink, though he would never admit to it happening.

"No! No, no. He's perfectly healthy. It's for research about his book. He needs to know more about illnesses and the like," a pause, as she breathed in slowly, "Remember at last's month party? The one your mom hosted? We were talking about it then. No need to worry."

Sasuke sighed, relief pooling in his gut as he replied to her, "Fine, I guess. I'll have to find someone else then..."

No one really came to mind but it couldn't be _that_ hard to find a non-fangirling date, right?

* * *

**E/N:** Thank you for all the kind reviews! (HOLY COW, 10 for the first chapter!?) Anyway, please review again! Follows and fav's are appreciated too!

Again, reminder that I need a Beta~


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